CHARACTERIZATION:

Ways to Know a Character:

Thoughts and conversation
- what the character says, thinks, or feels
- what others in the story say or think about the character

Actions
- what the character does
- what the character chooses not to do
- what others in the story do to the main character

CHARACTER TYPES:

Protagonist: the main character or lead figure in a literary work. Generally, the reader is rooting for this person to succeed.
Antagonist: The person, thing, of force creating conflict in the life of the protagonist.
Round: A character who is fully developed and well-rounded. This character has many different personality traits- usually both good and bad.
Flat: A character who is one-dimensional and can be described using only one or two words.
Static: A character who goes through very little, if any, internal change, growth, or development.
Dynamic: A character who changes throughout the course of the novel. Usually, dynamic characters change and develop for the better.
Foils: Two characters who are so opposite of one another that they bring out each other's character traits.

Readers who want to understand character can ask:

Are the characters believable? Have you ever felt like this character, or have you known anyone who felt like this character? What about the character seemed real and true?
Is each character’s behavior consistent with what we know about him or her? Does the behavior remain consistent throughout the book? Is the change that occurs in the character (reasonable)?
Does the character’s behavior show that the character is a unique individual (or is the behavior stereotypical)?
Do you identify with the character? How would you have reacted if you were the character?
Does the character change or learn as the story progresses? Does the character reach a new understanding about the situation or about life?
Is the character memorable? Will you remember this character in a month?

Characterization Notes